Shreyansh Jaiswal needed just 13 minutes to record the biggest win of his career, beating the No.5 seed and world No. 10 HS Prannoy 21-4, 21-6 in the first round of the India Open. Yet, there was little celebration at the end of the match which came after Prannoy tamely chipped a service return into the net.
This wasn't to be the feel good story of a giant killing act by a 22-year-old who had come through qualifying, but rather one of a player who by all rights had no business being on court.
That Prannoy even made a few cursory attempts at setting up points and smashed the odd shuttle was remarkable, considering he was playing with a corn and blisters on his right foot, which made the simple act of walking painful. "I wasn't playing at 10%. Maybe minus 10%," he would say after the game.
The fact that he even was playing, was owing to a stipulation introduced by the Badminton World Federation last year that makes it mandatory for the top 15 players to play a minimum of 12 of the 15 tournaments on the world tour.
Prannoy had already missed the opening two tournaments of the World Tour - the Malaysia Masters and Indonesia Masters. Missing the India Open would have meant playing the next 12 tournaments without a break. In a release, the BWF mentioned that the penalty for not playing the minimum 12 tournaments was a "hefty fine". However, the rules state that exemptions are possible if players provide a medical certificate.
"I had got the corn on between my toes after the Premier Badminton League. It is a simple procedure to remove it but the procedure the doctor performed didn't work out. I had already missed two tournaments at the start of the year, so I couldn't miss another one," Prannoy says.
Prannoy could not even concede the match owing to injury, because of another BWF stipulation that a player conceding a match to a countryman would lose his ranking points from the tournament. The rule was ostensibly laid out in order to prevent countries from rigging matches to manipulate ranking points and obtain favourable draws later on, on the orders of team officials.
Prannoy too approached the umpire on two occasions in the match but was reminded of the stipulation and so chose to carry on playing. Prannoy said he had considered his options before ultimately making the decision to play on the day.
"When I spoke to Gopi sir, he also asked me to come. I shouldn't have played today but there was no other way."
Prannoy's concerns would be shared by Saina Nehwal a little while later. Nehwal, who battled fitness issues last year, questioned the hectic schedule, owing to which she has opted to skip the Asian Badminton Championships beginning next week.
"It isn't that I don't care about the country. You have to understand that I still need time. It's not like I am not with India," she said.
Nehwal said the rules made it difficult for her to recover after playing tournaments, something that has gotten harder with age.
"It's very tough because this is a killing sport. It looks easy from outside. But there are lot of challenging movements included and it's risky and you have to play so many tough matches. I just want time and to be fresh for tournaments. I don't want to rush. I don't want to just play because people want me to.
"But what's the point if people speak "Saina lost"? That I have to face and it's a funny thing. I feel bad. I cry sometimes because it's not easy to take. It's not easy for people to understand what we go through. I am not 20 anymore. I have to keep myself fit so that I can play for long."
The current badminton calendar, to which Indian players must add the Commonwealth and Asian Games, would make that recovery incredibly difficult to manage.
"Look at the calendar. It's a killing calendar. People don't know what tournament to play and where to play. I haven't seen anything like this before. I feel it has to be reduced. I understand the point of money and sponsorships. But not in a state where the players are not able to play well. I think they have to rethink about it," she said.
Prannoy kept a brave face despite playing in obvious pain. "This is something very unexpected and is affecting me mentally. But what to do? We just need to accept certain things and move on. I am again getting a procedure tomorrow and it will take time to heal. So I am not sure when I can return. Probably, I can make it for the All England. But it all depends on how it heals."
Jaiswal, for his part, tried to make the best of a situation that is not of his doing.
"It is a good feeling to reach the second round of the tournament. I have never made it to this stage before. But at the same time I didn't want to win like this," he said. Now he faces a far tougher second round match on Thursday against Parupalli Kashyap. The first to wish him had been Prannoy.
"Ahead of the match, Prannoy told me that he was not going to be able to play his match and wished me good luck for my next game."